


Never did I think that I (would be caught in the way you've caught me)

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Genderfluid Allura, Multi, Pining Keith (Voltron), Polyamory, kinda??, trans keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 10:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11273916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: Was it selfish to want to be a special category in his heart? Probably. Was Keith ashamed to admit he still hoped for it? Yes. Did knowing those things make him stop or even slow down? Not really.One problem with that, though- a certain someone else on the Castle already had that spot secured. Namely the person he expected to end up getting with Lance the least. Otherwise known as Allura.-Keith crushes on Lance, Lance and Allura are together, and both start acting... strange towards him





	Never did I think that I (would be caught in the way you've caught me)

**Author's Note:**

> 'love triangle'?? I don't know her  
> originally this was gonna be klunk but then I thought about poly genderfluid Alteans so I had to  
> (disclaimer: I'm a cis female so if I got anything wrong about being trans or genderfluid, I apologize)  
> title's from Girls/Girls/Boys by P!atD (there's a kallurance animatic on youtube with this song that partly inspired this it's by Alpha Nerd go check it out)  
> there's a couple swear words and one very brief sexual mention but I didn't think it was bad enough to earn a mature rating  
> enjoy!

Keith sighed. Even with his back turned to him, he could practically _feel_ Lance's eyes on him. Probably both lower down than Keith would like and in just the right place at the same time. 

He'd never regretted anything more than his choice to wear his skinny jeans to train right now. Lance was almost definitely looking at his ass, and whenever he wanted to bring it up, his throat would lock up. Shame burned in his chest as he tried to ignore it.

 _It shouldn't be so hard,_ he thought irritably as he slid under another one of the Gladiator's attacks. His body was practically on autopilot. _If I'm really uncomfortable with it, I can just tell him. He'd stop, either out of embarrassment I caught him or because I asked._

The thing was- he wasn't uncomfortable with it. Not really. If anything, he was practically preening at the attention. Showing off a more complicated move when a less flashy one would've gotten the job done. It was risky but _worth it_ just to hear the little appreciative hum Lance would make when he pulled it off. So Keith just... kept doing it. With Lance, he'd take any positive attention he could get.

Lance was loud. He didn't just toe the fine line between charming and obnoxious; he practically used it as a jump rope. Especially when he flirted with anything vaguely attractive and human-shaped. He was a hard person for Keith to get used to being around and living in the same spaceship with. They were opposites in nearly every way. It was a miracle they could work together at all, let alone actually be friends.

And yet, somehow...

Keith found himself wanting more. Yearning with every easy touch he was given. Lance wasn't as superficial as he'd seemed, and underneath the mask was a genuinely wonderful person who loved many things. His family, his friends, Blue, taking care of his skin, protecting the Universe, Earth, and _so much more._

Was it selfish to want to be a special category in his heart? Probably. Was Keith ashamed to admit he still hoped for it? Yes. Did knowing those things make him stop or even slow down? Not really.

One problem with that, though- a certain someone else on the Castle already had that spot secured. Namely the person he expected to end up getting with Lance the least. Otherwise known as Allura.

How that ended up happening, Keith had no idea. It always seemed like Allura would only get annoyed when Lance flirted with her. And then one day, the two of them walked into the dining room with intertwined fingers, bright smiles, and flushed faces. He still remembers Lance's face the entire meal, an expression he snuck in Allura's direction whenever she wasn't looking. A soft smile of admiration, half-lidded eyes determined to memorize every detail about her, propped up by a hand under his chin- the whole hopelessly-in-love, 'how am I this lucky?' package.

He'd wanted to be happy for them, he really did. But he couldn't help but remember how the food goo somehow tasted worse that night. How it made him feel like his stomach was twisted into knots and lined heavily with lead. He couldn't help but feel physically sick. All because he wanted the boy looking at a Princess like that to look at _him_ like that.

God, he was such a selfish walking cliché. Why couldn't he just accept it and move on like a normal person?

After all, he couldn't really blame Lance for choosing someone like Allura over someone like him. She was smart, beautiful, strong and deadly- she'd whooped his ass at sparring enough times to solidify that fact for him. A strong leader with a compassionate heart yet a reasonable mind that wasn't blinded by how she personally felt (...most of the time- she was getting better at that aspect. Nobody's perfect. Not even her.) over a reckless greasy half-breed who would sooner train until he passed out from exhaustion than actually bother talking about his feelings. It didn't take a rocket scientist to clearly see who'd be a preferable partner.

Lance made some... questionable choices sometimes, but he wasn't stupid. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Before the little optimistic fantasy bubble Keith had blown in his mind was popped.

He thought he'd gotten over it by now. Turns out, it was pretty easy to distract yourself in the middle of a 10,000 year war against a tyrannical empire. Any time he didn't spend sleeping or bonding with Red was spent (surprise surprise) training. Any feelings were easier ignored in the middle of a battle than anywhere else. 

The only exception was right now. Lance came in half an hour ago, and hadn't even tried hiding that he wasn't there to train. At first Keith had thought maybe he'd stop if he just ignored him.

Turns out that wasn't the case. And now it was throwing him off. Making him sloppy and his skin heated slightly. It was only a matter of time before Keith made a mistake.

The thought seemed to summon the mistake- greeting him with a harsh metal pole to his abdomen, knocking him down and forcing the air out of his lungs. His sweaty skin met the hard cold ground forcefully. He winced at the pain and rubbed at his forehead with a blooming headache, barely noticing the steps headed towards him.

"End training sequence," he heard Lance say. The Gladiator probably paused mid-strike and bowed it's head before disappearing. He knew those sounds well. Softer and slower steps headed to his side. "Need some help?"

Keith opened his eyes to see a hand stretched down for him and Lance smiling at him with a fond expression. The lights were perfectly placed to shine above the sun-kissed boy, an almost golden halo framing his sharp face.

Looking up at him and being met with a sight like that, Keith came to a sudden realization as he stared.

He must've died. The Gladiator somehow killed him and whatever the hell was in charge of the Universe thought he was good enough to send him up to Heaven. The angels looked like Lance- which wouldn't surprise him at all honestly. This one was gonna pick him up and dust him off with a smile before showing him the place.

 _Hey,_ they'd say in a voice that sounded kinda like Lance's. _That wasn't so bad, right? Come on. I'll take you to the buffet, Keith. Keith...?_

"-Keith?" He snapped back to reality to see the expression above him had shifted to concern. "Dude, are you okay? Did you get a concussion or something?"

"Oh," he breathed out. His marathon heart confirmed that he was, as a matter of fact, still alive. His head hurt like hell, but he was still alive. And very obviously staring up at Lance in wide-eyed wonder.

_Shit._

Keith sat up suddenly, ignoring Lance's offering hand. His face felt like it was on fire. And not fuzzy, pleasant fire that left a bloom of warmth in his chest. These flames were more like 'oh dear god where's the nearest airlock I can jump out of' filled to the brim with embarrassment. "I'm fine," he said. He got himself up to his feet as best as he could without looking at any part of Lance. "I just..." He searched frantically for an easy and vague excuse. "...got distracted, I guess."

Good enough.

Keith mustered up the courage to look at Lance only to see him nodding in understanding. "Don't worry about it," he assured with an easy smile and half-lidded eyes. "I get it- we all have our off days." Keith screamed internally when an arm slung around his shoulder pulled the two closer together, but didn't dare to move away.  
(Was Lance always so warm? Maybe it was just him.) "Even someone like you." Those deep ocean eyes grew darker, like he was swimming down into the crushing depths. For a moment, he saw those eyes glance down at his lips. Then he bit his own. They were _so close,_ it wouldn't take much to seal the deal...

Then that moment ended, and Keith remembered the hundreds of reasons why what he wanted to happen should never happen. Reality was a cruel mistress, yet kind enough to be timely. At least he didn't do anything they'd both regret.

Keith cleared his throat and slightly moved away. "Thanks," he said. The floor suddenly became very interesting to him, so he averted his gaze away from Lance's siren eyes. "I appreciate it, man."

Lance seemed to be thrown off by this reaction, but adapted quickly. "No problem. After all," Keith couldn't help but dread whatever was gonna come out of his mouth next. Lance had his 'Rosales charm' voice on. The tone that he guaranteed worked on almost everyone, but barely worked on anyone. Keith was just one of the unlucky ones.

Apparently Allura had been, too.

A pat on his back and the same hand carefully resting on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. He made the stupid mistake of looking at Lance's face. "No one's perfect all the time. Guess that even applies to you, Kitten." Just to seal Keith's fate, Lance ended that pet name with a wink.

_'Kitten?!'_

Keith could physically feel his soul leave his burning body. His heart was running fast before, but now it was practically trying to break some kind of world record.

He was wrong before. He hadn't died and gone to heaven. This was hell. His punishment was filled with pining over someone he could never have like a tween obsessed with some celebrity with a hot partner and a successful career and would never give them the time of day. He was going to have to face it for all of eternity. At this point, he couldn't think of a worse fate.

The filter between Keith's mouth and his brain snapped like a silken spiderweb thread. So while he'd _meant_ to say something somewhat intelligent and not embarrassing at all, what came out of his mouth was a nervous laugh leading to top-quality hot garbage. 

"Well. I-I need to..." He gestured towards the door and started to step towards it. "Do a... thing. A really important thing. Somewhere else." Lance raised a brow innocently.

"Really?" He asked with fake interest and a hint of teasing. "If it's so important, want me to come with you? Two is always better than one in-"

"No!" Keith interjected. His throat felt dry as Lance's surprised stare turned to him. "I mean... no, I think I'm fine." A couple more steps. He was closer to freedom from this weird purgatorial punishment. "You go on and train." A few more steps. "I'll just be... somewhere. Else. Away from here." He was at the door now, able to sneak one more look at Lance's knowing expression and crossed arms and broad shoulders and--

 _Get it together, Keith! Now is_ not _the time for this. Don't try to bat out of your league._

"Bye!" He said, quickly slipping through the opened doors. He faintly recalled walking down the hallway at a speed much faster than he usually did, but all he could focus on right now were Lance's words. They were happy to repeat in his mind like a wonderfully horrible loop.

_I guess we all have our off days. Even someone like you._

Keith was doing just fine against the Gladiator before Lance came in and ruined it all. Throwing him off his routine. Did he _know_ that would happen? Did he somehow know one of Keith's deepest, best-kept secrets?

Though... Considering how badly he tried to cover it up back there, maybe he wasn't as subtle as he thought. _Great._

_After all, no one's perfect all the time. Guess that even applies to you, Kitten._

What the hell was Lance trying to do anyway? He'd already caught the best fish in his pond, so why was he even trying to net another one? Was he just testing out if Keith really liked him? Was this just another way for Lance to mess with him in the stupid little rivalry they had?

Keith couldn't help but start getting fired up at the thought. Picking fights with someone was one thing, but consciously playing with their feelings like a kitten with a ball of yarn was another entirely. No matter how funny, attractive, and charming you were. Keith had half a mind to march right back into the training room and tell him that.

And he probably would have, if he didn't bump into someone in the hallway. He snapped back to attention to see Allura with bundles of various shades of purple fabric in her arms. Her hair was specially done today, two small braids on both sides coming together to join in a third larger braid down her back. Her crystal blue eyes widened at seeing him.

"Oh! Keith," she said. "You're just the person I wanted to see, actually." Apparently his face still held a slight bit of anger because she paused for a moment, looking at him quizzically. "Is something wrong?"

Keith blinked in confusion. Allura wanted to see him? Why? He wracked his mind for a reasonable answer for so long he almost didn't hear her question. He shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he told her. "What did you need me for?"

She smiled and turned around, gesturing for him to follow. He did so cautiously, still trying to wrack his mind for answers but only coming up with more questions. Why was Allura looking for him out of all the others? What was with the fabric in her arms? Would it be a good idea to ask her about Lance? Or at least tell her what just happened?

All very good questions, but he didn't end up asking any of them. Just kept following Allura down the Castle hallways to what he recognized as the way to the royal chambers. Knowing that made a little heat flare up at the implied connotations of someone taking you to their bedroom, but he quickly shooed it away. Allura was a wonderful woman unlike most people he'd ever met. He respected her immensely, so he wasn't going to mentally demean her by thinking like that.

She picked a deep purple dress out of what was apparently a neat pile of clothes and gave the rest over to him. "Could you hold these for me, please?" He nodded and her face lit up in excitement as she passed the clothes into his arms. "Thank you. This won't take too long, I promise!" With that, she dashed off into a little side room covered by a shimmering pearlescent curtain to change.

...Well. Out of all the reasons he'd thought up of why she might need him, this was... definitely not one he'd had in mind. Maybe she was looking for advice and he was just the first one she'd found? That would make sense... if she hadn't said he was 'just the person she wanted to see, actually.' That kinda put a damper on it. 

Sure, none of the others really knew much about fashion that he knew of. But no matter how his uncle used to drunkenly joke about it, he didn't know any more about it than an ""average"" (straight) man.

So he decided to ask.

"So, uh..." He started not-at-all-awkwardly. "Why were you looking for _me?_ 'Cause, no offense Princess, I don't really know about this kinda stuff."

"Oh, don't worry," she said. "I don't either." She moved the curtain aside to showcase her efforts. "I didn't bring you here for advice about _clothing."_ She moved to the bed and sat on the edge. He only moved when she put her hand down beside her and gave the space a single pat.

He had to admit- the dress looked _dazzling_ on her. The fabric was a velvety deep purple that reminded him of stardust scattered amongst the void of space whenever it moved. It was a simple, long dress that showed off her bare shoulders decorated with swirling markings the same color as those below her eyes and ran down to a black hem like an elegant gradient. It was a pretty nice dress, perfect for the wearer.

But he didn't spend a lot of time looking at it. His attention was quickly occupied further up at her face. She looked... nervous, looking away from him and hugging herself in long sleeves. Her markings flickered with a faint glow in the dim lighting, casting a pink aura on the both of them. She bit her lip, looking to and away from him anxiously.

It was... weird, to say the least, to see someone as strong as her this way. He wanted to know what was bothering her so much to make her act this way. "Princess, what's--"

She winced at the title like it burned her. "Please," she interrupted quickly and quietly. "...Don't call me that."

He raised a brow. "Allura," he said carefully. She didn't move, so he continued. "What's wrong? Is something going on?"

"I..." She sighed. "It's... not exactly... orthodox."

"So?" He asked, scooting a little bit closer carefully. "Like, 75% of what we do everyday is 'unorthodox'. It's fine if you don't wanna talk about it, but if you do..." He hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. The skin was eerily cold. "I'm... I'm here for you. We all are."

She cracked a halfhearted smile. "I guess you're right," she chuckled. "It's just... It's probably not something I should _think_ about so much."

"...Why?" He asked softly.

"Well, as children, Alteans are considered like Pidge is- gender-neutral," she started to explain. Keith didn't really understand how this was relevant, but he didn't interrupt. He just listened intently. "As we reach maturity and we're able to change our bodies however we want within reason, we... choose what we wish to be called. Male, female, neither. He, she, they. It's all a matter of what you're comfortable with and what you want to be called." She looked to him. "Do humans have that, too?"

"I'm not exactly human, remember?" He tried to crack a joke. And instantly regretted it when her face fell even further. "Sorry, sorry. That was bad. I... thought that might cheer you up."

The smile came back. "Well," she said. "You definitely should..." Her brows knotted closer together in thought. "...What was the saying? 'Go to your night job'?"

"It's 'stick with your day job'," he informed. "And I will." Okay, back on track. "But back to your question- no, humans don't really... have anything like that. We're... pretty much assigned our genders at birth. Based on what's..." He gestured to his inner thigh area. "...Here."

Allura watched him with wide eyes. "That's _awful,"_ she said. "Can you, erm..." Her eyes flickered down for a split second before coming back up to his face. "change that?"

"Well, yes," he told her. "But it's a _really_ long transition. There's usually surgery and medicine involved over a period of time as the body changes. And then of course, you have to deal with ignorant douchebags saying stuff like 'I don't believe in that, so you're invalid and I'm going to call you what God intended' or family members starting stories about you off with 'back when he was still a girl...'" He found his fists subconsciously clenching. "Not to mention dating's an absolute _nightmare_ most of the..." He trailed off as he finally realized he was rambling like an idiot spouting off unnecessary facts. Allura stared at him with wide eyes, but they weren't full of surprise or (unsurprisingly) fear. It was fascination and even a bit of... empathy. Like she could relate somewhat. He cleared his throat and forced himself to relax. "A-At least, that's what I've heard."

_Nice save there, idiot._

"Sounds terrible," Allura gave him a knowing look. "If I knew anyone who had to go through something like that," she leaned in to cautiously rest her head on his shoulder. It was a bit weird, but Keith couldn't find it in him to complain or ask her to get off him. The contact was almost... nice. "I'd give them my condolences." 

"Noted," he said. "...But why are you telling me this?"

She sighed, casting her eyes down to the floor. "...Well, when you're supposed to make that choice, you're expected to know what you want to be already." She said. "Father always told me it would just... _click_ at one point. That everything would suddenly make sense and I'd just _know_ one day. The day came and..." She shrugged. "I thought I knew. That I was confident in my decision one hundred percent. That I'd feel comfortable with 'Princess' and 'she' and so forth."

"I'm... guessing that's not the case?" He asked. Allura nodded.

"Some days, I can forget. Dismiss it by thinking I was foolish for not being sure. But other days?" Allura paused, reaching for the right words. "It doesn't feel... right. _I_ don't feel right. It doesn't really hurt or anything when someone calls me Princess or my chosen pronouns, but it just feels... off. I keep my body this way but it doesn't really feel like mine. It just rubs me the wrong way for the entire day or even _weeks_ sometimes and I can't help but feel like I made the wrong choice somehow." Allura took a shuddering breath. "A-and I don't really know how to tell anyone else this." He could feel the shoulders poke into him as they drew higher and higher up. "Even now, it feels _ridiculous_ to say but it's true and... I don't really know what to do about it."

He waited for her to finish and look at him before speaking up. All this new information was... a little overwhelming. Like being caught in a ruthless storm with nothing but an expanse of ocean all around you. Yet it also felt a bit... humanizing. Seeing parts of the Allura not many people knew. He knew that being included in that little group was a rare honor, and he wasn't going to waste it. 

Helpful advice wasn't really his forte, but he was gonna give it his best shot.

"Your Majesty," he couldn't help but notice their slight shift of surprise. "This is actually not an unknown thing back on Earth."

Allura sat up to look at him head on. "What?" They said. "Really?"

"Well, kind of." He confessed. "Sexuality is a fluid thing, and many people know that gender can be the same. Some people stick with the gender they were born as, others don't. And some kinda... fluctuate. It can be day to day, week to week, or anything beyond or inbetween." Allura watched as he explained, expression slowly shifting to both hopeful and fascinated.

"Really?" They asked. "What are they called?"

"Genderfluid," he said. "I wouldn't really call myself an expert on it, but from my experience," otherwise known as long Google searches late at night when he was still trying to discover himself back when he was like 13. "I'd say that's what you are. So one more thing I wanna ask," he looked to Allura. "What would you want me to call you?"

Their eyes widened. "I..." Their eyebrows furrowed in sudden deep thought. "I've never really... thought about that before." They pursed their lips and hummed slightly in consideration. "Gender-neutral is fine by me."

"Alright then, Your Majesty," he said, standing up from the side of the bed. He held out the purple articles over his arm for them. "Do you still want to try these on, or should I leave these and go?"

They smiled, and he could see a bit of flush on their cheeks at the title. "Leave them on the bed," they told him with a wave of their hand. "I can decide what to wear to the gala the Weyriens are throwing us tomorrow." 

He nodded and set them down neatly on the bed. Honestly, he'd forgotten that was even happening. It was pretty obvious to tell from... everything about him, but fancy parties weren't really his thing. He started to head for the door.

"Wait." A hand on his wrist stopped him. He looked back to see Allura looking up at him. They smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. But before you leave, two more things." 

He raised a brow in curiosity. "Yeah?"

They blinked, and their eyes shone with tears glistening in the stronger pink light. "Thank you." They whispered. "I... didn't really know who to talk to about this, and I don't know when or if I want to tell the others about this," they smiled up at him. "But I'm glad I asked you for advice."

"It's no problem," he said, putting his other hand on theirs. "Really. If you don't want to tell the others about this, I won't say a word. I promise." He moved his hand away. "But if any one other person on the Castle _should_ know, it should probably be Lance. You are his partner- and though you're not really lying to him, don't worry about that- it would probably be better for him to know."

"You're right," they said. "I will. But speaking of Lance..." They gave him a curious look.

 _Oh no._ He could feel his heart drop to his stomach. Allura knew somehow. Probably because of the mice. Those little things were sneaky as hell.

Internally, he was starting to freak out. How many people knew? Did everyone else know about it and just pretended not to? Was Allura going to try and let him down easy? Probably. Why didn't Lance do that in the training deck when he had the chance? It would have been so much easier than this. Should he tell them about what happened at the training deck? Was it too late to run out of the room and out of an airlock? 

Externally though, he kept the straightest face he could manage. "What about Lance?" He asked casually. Was it too casual? Did it look like he was trying too hard to cover something up?

"Do you..." They glanced down at their hand still on his limp wrist. "Do you have an answer?" They let go and looked back up at him. "Don't get me wrong- it's fine if you need time to think about it, but Lance and I would--"

"Wait," he interrupted. "Hold up, Allura." He gestured for them to stop. "I'm lost. What are you talking about?"

Allura's expression dropped. It didn't look like confusion, but... realization. "He didn't ask you back at the training deck, did he?"

Keith raised a brow at that. "Ask me what?"

"He didn't ask you." They let out an exasperated sigh. "Never mind." They stood up from the bedside. "It's... I'm going to talk to Lance. Meet us in the dining hall in about 10 minutes or so. I promise I'll explain everything."

With that, they moved past him into the hallway. Heading towards the training deck and leaving him with more questions than answers. What the actual hell was all that about?

Well, at least he knew one thing. Whatever was going on, he was gonna find out about it in about 10 minutes.

Even with that assurance, his mind still buzzed with a strange mix of feelings that made him want to both get to the dining hall faster and just not go at all. At least he didn't have to worry about rejection or even complete dismissal of his feelings. But what if what they wanted to ask him was something just as worse? What if--

 _Stop it,_ he chastised himself as he walked down the hallway to the dining hall. _It's probably nothing to freak out about. Stop worrying over nothing._

Usually, he loved being alone. His favorite time had always been in the dead of night, when everything was still and it felt like he was the only soul awake. When he held an intimate conversation with the quiet of the world and fell head over heels in love with the free openness surrounding him without any eyes on him except the moon and stars. Even among his audience, that was still the case. In fact, their busy lives and team connection on the Castle usually made him love the times he was alone even more. Rarity makes the heart grow fonder, right? Usually, yes.

But as he reached the dining hall door, he found that wasn't the case. He found himself _hoping_ that someone else was there for whatever reason. Maybe Hunk and Pidge going over schematics for some new upgrades. Or Coran getting a head start on making some disgusting ""authentic"" Altean dish. Or Shiro just being there for... some reason he couldn't really think of right now. Just _anyone_ to take his mind off things for a couple minutes.

Whatever was up there apparently didn't want to listen to him, because when he opened the door he got what he expected- an empty room. A greeting of silence.

He was alone with his thoughts- never a good thing when he got like this. His mind was more than happy to fill in any gaps it could find. The questions surrounded him like a tornado, leaving his mind swirling and leaving him with a tight chest as he took a seat at the long dining table. And then one question toppled over the rest, coming out of the blue like a stranger in a thick fog.

_What if they were going to ask him to a threesome?_

Most of the questions his mind helpfully supplied were flimsy and easy to dismiss. It was just grasping at straws to send him swirling into a panic. All of them could be disproven. With a little logic, he'd been doing his best to hack through the monumental jungle. But this question?

This question... actually made sense.

He tried to come up with something- _anything-_ to shoot it down. But he was coming up empty. With how the two of them acted towards him today and today only, with shameless ogling from Lance and strangely comfortable little touches from Allura during their touching talk, it wasn't all too unrealistic to believe. Maybe they were just trying to spice things up and figured he was the best candidate on the Castle? He swallowed thickly at the thought.

The worst part was- he would probably say yes if that was the case. It would hurt, but a part of him _yearned_ to be closer to Lance. Closer and longer touches than the occasional slap on the back or rare-as-diamonds hug. Even if it was only for a meaningless night, maybe he could indulge himself once and finally move on from this stupid crush.

Having Allura as a third partner... wouldn't be so bad actually. He wasn't into them that way, but he had to admit- he could see _why_ people did. Plus it was always nice to remind himself that Allura didn't hate him. Not to mention they were a headstrong and respected leader- maybe that would translate to--

Wait. Why was he thinking about this like it was actually a good idea? It wasn't. He was probably just trying to convince himself that it was, that he'd want that. Honestly? It was more likely to actually make things worse than better. He knew that.

Bu somewhere, deep down inside of him, Keith still wanted it. Scraps of food were better than none to a starving man. It was just... difficult to justify it to himself.

"Keith," a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned his head to see the visitors he expected- Lance and Allura. Their fingers were intertwined and both looked nervously from their partner back to him.

"I'm here," he said. "So... what did you guys wanna ask me?"

"Well..." Lance started. He glanced over to Allura, who only gestured for him to continue. "First off, I'm sorry for what happened in the training room today. I _was_ gonna ask you what we wanted to know but I got... distracted. You didn't seem to be annoyed by it, so I thought I'd flirt with you a little bit. I didn't mean much by it at the time, but it was... kinda adorable seeing you get so flustered over it." He seemed a lot less nervous now, words rolling off his tongue easily now. 

Keith just listened with a hard expression and crossed arms. He was regretting this pretty quickly. Part of him just wanted to walk out right there, right then. Another part kinda wanted to slap him. And a tiny part was... kinda flattered that Lance openly called him adorable. Only time and Lance's next words would tell which was the dominant.

Lance turned his head to look at Allura. "You should have _seen him,_ babe. It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. He was tripping over his-"

Allura cleared their throat. "Lance," they murmured to him not-very-subtly. "I'm sure he was, but that is not why we're here. Please get to the point."

"Oh," he murmured back with the same amount of subtlety. "Yeah. Right. Anyways," he turned to Keith again. Keith just raised a brow and stared back. "What I mean to say is- it was a shitty thing to do just out of the blue like that. I put you on the spot without knowing what you felt about me, and I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have put you in that situation without context. And I promise I was gonna lead into asking you."

Keith stared at him stone-faced for another moment before softening his expression. "Okay," he said with a shrug. "I believe you. It's fine." He was acting surprisingly calm for someone still playing _It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen_ over and over in his head. "...But you guys keep bringing up wanting to ask me something. What's the question?"

Lance laughed nervously. "Right. That. Uhm," he started fidgeting, his hands absentmindedly fiddling with each other like they usually did when he got too anxious to hide. "Well, it's..." He bit his lip. Obviously stalling for time. Were his cheeks actually starting to flush? "Allura?" He stopped to look back at his partner for assurance. They nodded and reached for his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We... Do you want to be our boyfriend?" The words were rushed, but clear enough for him to make out.

Keith blinked, too astonished to hide it. "I...I'm sorry, what?"

"Do you want to be our boyfriend?" Lance repeated slower. He was definitely blushing now. (Red was a good color on him, if Keith could think so himself. And he certainly did.)

"No, I got that." He said. "But what do you mean by that?"

Allura answered this time. "Altean relationships commonly had 3 or more partners," they told him. "And while I love Lance, and would not mind our relationship staying with the two of us," they looked entirely at Lance while speaking those words. He looked stunned. His face somehow flushed more. "I suggested maybe opening it up. Lance and I have been talking about it, and we figured if we wanted anyone else to join our relationship, it would be... you." They gestured toward him. "Of course, if you need time to think about it we won't rush you. We just wanted to-"

Before he could really stop it, his answer tumbled out. It was as easy as an exhale. The one simple word was a breathless ghost on his lips that was finally allowed to fly free to the afterlife.

_"Yes."_

The two looked at him with unabashed surprise. "Really?" Lance asked. "That was quick." He raised a brow at Keith. "Are you sure about this?"

Keith took a moment to think it over. No matter what he tried, he couldn't find a single negative thing about this. It was a lot better than what he thought they were gonna ask him. A lot more meaningful too. Was he really their first choice? It wasn't like they had a lot of options on the Castle, but they still had some options other than him. Part of him felt confused. Another felt honored and on top of the fucking _world_ right now. It wasn't hard to settle on his answer.

He nodded and stood up from his chair. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sure."

Their bright smiles and soft grip on his hands were reward enough. So was the warmth of two bodies nestled up to him in the soft sheets of the royal bed, Allura's arms holding him close and Lance's calming hands through his hair lulling him.

("You have no idea how long he's apparently wanted to do that," Allura whispered in his ear. "You know," Through one cracked eye, he could clearly see their warm smile and eyes shining with mischief. "He's the one who brought up asking yo-"

"Shh," Lance quickly shushed them. "Babe, he's almost asleep. Don't ruin it."

He wanted to protest that he wasn't even tired, but his mind had other ideas. He drifted off into the calmest sleep he'd had in a long while.)

But the most rewarding thing? The looks he caught them both making in the corner of his eye at dinner when they thought he couldn't see.

He could already tell- he'd made the right decision.

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always appreciated!  
> my tumblr: squishy--squish


End file.
